New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-10
A CITY HOME.
TIE EXPERIENCES OF A HoUsE-HUNTER
tEtrst Paper.l
oh, 1t was piiiful,
Near q whole cityful
Homo they hal mono.

oh, It piiiful,
| Homo they hal none ,
We came to reside in New-York from an lhianu
city, five years ago. Prudenoe-in whom the spirit Oh
prophecy at times Is strong-as we alighted az Tue
| Grand Central Depot remarked: SIN cohhueht
Richard that we shall find just the sort OF house we
want in this wilderness of houses before great whe
| Well live in O fiat only long enough to make Wise
selection"
aIssen said /, you regard fat merely as step
ping stone Men may rise stcppng-stones Oh out,
worn fats to higher things. to speak. Good. wen
90 hunting flats tho first thing after breakfast
| Temporarily while picking out a temporary nat we
were to live hotel Breakfast over, bought inc
morning papers, every OF the M and read aouo W
Prudence all the advertisements OF hats good
mapy flats were in the market that morning stress
being laid in the majority OF instances on 'her Deh9
lioht we concluded that 1t engaging character
isto OF THE sort OF habitaton-Done oil which We n'u
vet seen-that all their rooms had an ample southern
| exposure and were sim ply flooded with eanshine'
| y Isn't that delightful" exclaimed Prudence. L
nd mittcd that it was We both rather partial to
sunshine. .
| Some of the flats wero called " little gems" One
was referred to little gem with hard woou M
ish aud stationary tubs lined with porcelain CUT
mt this last advertisement and mailed II 10 MIL
waukte friend who is in the jewery business KNOW
ing be would be Interested in this latest Wrinke
in gem finishing. Halt q dozen OF the mats were
spokeu of AS bargain two or three as bargains
we had not delayed our coming until next week. ohe
of them was given up because the owner had been
unexI ecicdiy called to Europe
alt must be nice, Prudence, to be unexpectedly
called to Eutopo. II there's ons place more thah an
other TO which I'd like to be called une1Dectediy-
| Prudence cut In sharply to suggest that while
Europe was well enough u was not the subject IN
hand.
Well. IL was evident that could have our pick
from large number oil very desi able iate. Inc SOLO
assment that confronted ne was riches not our
own but the fiat markets. How happy we cohiu oe
with any one of these little gems especially with one
of those with hard finish 'tother dear charmers
away. "Go out ana hire hack remarked prudence
when had reached the end OF my list, and be sure
YOU Tx tho price in advance. EXT fruGehce ~ Se'
| her bonnet on.
I,ound A hackm,n aHow muchlo "Dollar and a
half tho fl st hour dollar hour after that &C
cured the hack on those terms thinking, remember,
that We VIC uldn probably need 1t more Than tho hrst
| hour. All, with what confident ardCr iTuuonce anu
! her husband entered the hack Hope Mt tho prow'
Fonl Anticipation At the helm Blissul Ignorance Tor
cargo mt n dollar aud halt tho first hour Onr hrst
top was before one OF the little hardhdshed gems III
didn't look It. The front was adorned with pfoIu-
oi ostsntitious stucco The door oil i main en-
trance was rendered uninyitng By hectic nash OIL
thea,, and ugly stained glass. The jhnitor did not
possess a rens.urng countenanco. The setting oil tue
| gem NOTABLY tho street cutters. VAS unconmonly
dirt, A deceased cat whose obsequies had been IN
duly p stponed) lay within easy distance. we got no
further than the outside OF this gem IL WAS vicG
to arst Impressions. Flat NUMBER two was decided
| Improvement Hat number one. The neigbborhood
! looked better, the street was comparatively clean
fP g. few streets in NewYcrk are superavely clean,
while the external appearance OF the building II not
imposing, was solid, substantial IL did not ohenc
the eve. The bell answered by ninbie boy IN
buttons who upon my stating our errand summoheu
| the janitor Enter janitor
fan n zee the fat that ia advertised
JAM or Certnly. Are you broker sir
| I-Brokcri No. why do you ask that question:
Jauitor-What meant Was. were you wantin' this
| hat Tor yoursetf
ION. yes. tsotto voco TO Prudence) Flat -huntng is
| like counting: wants TO do 1t by proxy
Jan,or 1.-THE three OF US having assembled to the sew
enth story)-iiere We arc.
Prudence latter having thoroughly inspected the
apartments)-Well, janitor, tho parlor and dining
| room are pleasant, the kitchen and bathroom are
satisl-wil do we'll enough. Those clothes presses are
pretty dark. but then it doesn't matter so much in
presses Now ii you will please show us the sleeping
apartments
! Jantor with a extra dry laugh -Sleepn' apart
ments, mum Why. mum, them rooms what you call
clothes presses " thin.
| Prudence (exccdly) Those the sleeping apart
ments
(exctodly Those the sleeping apartments u
Prudence aud lin cborus)-Why. janitor, you can't
| be in earnest; there must DO some mistake. The
advertise distinctly states hero Prudence pulled
1t out of her hand bag and showed 1t to HIM that all
tho rooms light You surely do not call those
rooms light
Jauitor with traces OF conjunction In his voice.
The Advertisement all right, mum Tho rooms are
all OF em light but some's lighter'n others Them
bedrooms lighted from the we'll
Prudence-rhe we'll; lighted fr'm we'll
Janitor The shaft, you know Boin' inside rooms
you SAINT expect ON to be as lights outside But
| ,ha odd pas
burner in each room. I'm sure, mum
So we're wo suro-sure that didn't to secure
this " bargain" this week or any other week Re-
erng the hack ordered the driver to take us to
the Hat which stool number three our list Ii be-
onced to the man who had beou Dectedly call ed
to Europe. Hope still stood erect at tho PROV OF the
hack but the grasp o: Fond Anticipation ON the helm
had sensibly relaxed. There one consol alton,
however. We had entered upon our second hour so
that the riding was cheaper. mentioned that crcum
stance to Prudence, gathering from her reply that
she was in mood for frivolous remarks. 1t was a
matter OF three miles to tho next Nat. But as the
route took through the lovely Central Park we did
not object Reaching or destination we found to our
great satisfaction that all tho were light In the
normal sense of the torn. The hat was on corner,
none OF its rooms depended upon a" well" for
lucdity all of them facing either the street running
ea.t and west or the avenue" running north and
south. 1t eight stories p-stars and the high
aerial lookout Afforded "a fine view of the residential
portion OF the city Houses, houses everywhere and
not one that bore my door plate! Fortunately tho
proprietor this desirable Hat had not yet sail for
| Europe, and in person he politely and eloquently
showed through the apartments We were greatly
pleased. II looked a. II our quest ended, and
| well ended. Still nothing had been said about
the rent We had paid 5000 year for
our pretty inland hons ION corner. twenty
six feet front, three story and basement with
an ample back yard) but had calculated. although
could hardly AFFORD it, to pay double that rent in Now
York. Imagine consterns alton. therefore, when he
who was unexpectedly called to Europe in answer to
a question IRON Prudence, stated his terms, In the
words and igures that follow, to wit
sThirty-hve hundred dollars year, furnished:
| don't csre to rent il unfinished"
Prudence bore up bravely under the announcement,
| but owing to attack OF paralysis Hope babe the
PROV farewell myself was pretty badly shattered,
but ,naged to gather myself together and reply to